Cornbread: Difference between revisions
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[[Image:MsSh Cornbread.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Skillet-baked cornbread]]'''Cornbread''' is a generic name for any number of [[quick bread]]s (a bread leavened chemically, rather than by [[yeast]]) containing [[cornmeal]]. As [[maize]] (also known as corn) is native to [[North America]], it is not surprising that the various kinds of cornbreads are more prevalent in the [[New World]]. However, in [[Italy]], the corn-based mush known as [[polenta]] is sometimes fashioned into a fried form resembling cornbread. |
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==History== |
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[[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native Americans]] were using ground corn for cooking long before the European explorers arrived in the New World. Cornbread was first discovered by Europeans during the [[Europe]]an exploration of [[North America]]. Europeans who had to use the local resources for food, fashioned cornmeal into cornbread. Cornbread was popular during the [[American Civil War]] because it was very cheap and could be made in many different forms. It could be fashioned into high-rising, fluffy loaves or simply fried for a fast meal. |
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==Types of cornbread== |
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Cornbread is a popular item in [[soul food]] enjoyed by many people for its texture and scent. Cornbread can be baked, fried or, rarely, steamed. Steamed cornbreads are mushy, chewier and more akin to cornmeal [[pudding]] than what most consider to be traditional cornbread. |
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===Baked cornbread=== |
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[[Image:Cornbread.jpg|right]] |
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Cornbread is a common bread in United States cuisine, particularly associated with the South and Southwest, as well as being a traditional staple for populations where [[wheat]] bread was prohibitively expensive. In some parts of the South it is crumbled into a glass of cold buttermilk and eaten with a [[spoon]], and it is also widely eaten with [[barbecue]] and [[chili con carne]]. In rural areas of [[Virginia]] in the mid 20th century cornbread, accompanied by [[pinto bean]]s (often called soup beans in this context) or [[honey]], was a common lunch for poor children. It is still a common side dish, often served with homemade [[butter]], chunks of [[onion]] or [[scallions]]. Cornbread crumbs are also used in some poultry stuffings; cornbread stuffing is particularly associated with [[Thanksgiving]] turkeys. |
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In the [[United States]], Northern and Southern corn bread are different because they generally use different types of corn meal and baking techniques.<ref>Cooks Illustrated Magazine, ''Baking Illustrated''. Brookline, MA: America's Test Kitchen, 2004, ISBN 0936184752</ref> Northern cooks tend to use yellow corn meal and Southern aficionados generally prefer white. They also prefer different flavorings of cornbread, with the North having a preference for sweetness and adding [[sugar]] or [[molasses]], while saltier tastes prevail in the South, and thus favor the addition of frying the bread with such additions as [[Pork rind#Cracklings|cracklins]]. In [[Vermont]], ground nutmeg is often added, and day-old "[[Johnny cake]]" is crumbled and served with cold milk similar to cold cereal. In [[Texas]], the [[Mexico|Mexican]] influence has spawned a hearty cornbread made with fresh or creamed corn kernels, [[jalapeño]] peppers and topped with shredded cheese. |
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Skillet-baked cornbread (often simply called skillet bread or [[hoecake]] depending on the container it's cooked in) is a traditional staple of [[rural]] cuisine in the [[United States]], especially in the [[Southern United States]] which involves heating [[bacon]] drippings, [[lard]] or other oil in a heavy, [[Seasoning (cast iron)|well-seasoned]] cast iron skillet in an oven, and then pouring a batter made from cornmeal, [[egg (food)|egg]] and [[buttermilk]] directly into the hot grease. The mixture is returned to the oven to bake into a large, crumbly and sometimes very moist cake with a crunchy crust. This bread will tend to be dense, meant more as an accompaniment than as a bread meant to stand on its own. In addition to the skillet method, such cornbread can also be made in sticks, muffins or loaves. |
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A slightly different variety, cooked in a simple baking dish, is associated with northern US cuisine; it tends to be sweeter and lighter than southern-style cornbread; the batter for northern-style cornbread is very similar to and sometimes interchangeable with that of a corn [[muffin]]. A typical contemporary northern U.S. cornbread (referred to in the South as "Yankee Cornbread") recipe contains half wheat [[flour]], half cornmeal, [[milk]] or [[buttermilk]], [[egg (food)|eggs]], [[leavening agent]], [[salt]], and usually [[sugar]], resulting in a bread that is somewhat lighter and sweeter than its more traditional southern counterpart. In the [[Border states (Civil War)|border states]] and parts of the [[Upper South]], a cross between the two traditions is known as "light cornbread." |
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Unlike fried types of cornbread, baked cornbread is a [[quick bread]] that is dependent on an egg-based protein matrix for its structure (though the addition of wheat flour adds gluten to increase its cohesiveness). The baking process gelatinizes the starch in the cornmeal, but still often leaves some hard starch to give the finished product a distinctive sandiness not typical of breads made from other grains. |
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===Corn pone=== |
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Corn pone (sometimes referred to as "Indian pone") is a type of cornbread, made of a thick, malleable dough made of cornmeal or [[hominy]] [[grits]], shaped by hand and then baked or fried in [[butter]], [[margarine]], lard or bacon grease. Corn pone has been a staple of [[Southern U.S. cuisine]], and has been discussed by many American writers, including [[Mark Twain]]. Typically corn pone is formed in two to three inch oval shapes and features a crunchy and/or chewy texture. The term comes from the Virginia [[Algonquian languages|Algonquian language]]. |
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The term "corn pone" is sometimes used as a noun to refer to one who possesses certain rural, unsophisticated peculiarities ("he's a corn pone"), or as an adjective to describe particular rural, folksy or "hick" characteristics (e.g., "corn pone" humor). The term is sometimes intended as a pejorative, often directed at persons from rural areas of the southern and midwestern U.S. |
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===Hot water cornbread=== |
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Cooked on a rangetop, one frying method involves pouring a small amount of liquid batter made with boiling [[water]] and self-rising cornmeal (cornmeal with [[Baking soda|soda]] or some other chemical leavener added) into a skillet of hot oil, and allowing the crust to turn golden and crunchy while the center of the batter cooks into a crumbly, mushy bread. These small (3-4" diameter) fried breads are soft and very rich. Sometimes, to ensure the consistency of the bread, a small amount of [[wheat]] [[flour]] is added to the batter. This type of cornbread is often known as "hot water" or "scald meal" cornbread and is unique to the American South. |
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===Jonnycakes=== |
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{{main|Jonnycake}} |
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Pouring a batter similar to that of skillet-fried cornbread, but slightly thinner, into hot grease atop a griddle or a skillet produces a [[pancake]]-like bread called a [[jonnycake]]. The origin of the name is unclear, possibly from 'journey cake' as a bread easily prepared by travellers, or as a corruption of 'Shawnee cake', or based on a forgotten Indian word. It has been claimed that the origin of this term is related to the Northern slang for Southern soldiers during the American Civil war, "Johnny Reb," but this claim is inconsistent with the fact that the term was in use during the 18th century. This type of cornbread is prevalent in New England, particularly in Rhode Island, and also in the American Midwest, and the American South. |
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===Hushpuppies=== |
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{{main|Hushpuppy}} |
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A thicker buttermilk-based batter which is deep-fried rather than pan-fried, forms the [[hushpuppy]], a common accompaniment to fried [[fish]] and other [[seafood]] in the South. Hushpuppy recipes vary from state to state, some including onion seasoning, chopped onions, [[beer]], or [[jalapeños]] are used. Fried properly, the hushpuppy will be moist and yellow or white on the inside, whilst crunchy and medium to dark brown on the outside. |
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The name is derived from the generally accepted story that, "in the old days" (probably the antebellum South), cooks would fry up leftover morsels of dough while cooking and toss them to the dogs in order to stall the pooches' begging, hence "Hush, puppy." |
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{{Commonscat|Cornbread}} |
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==See also== |
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*[[Hushpuppy]] |
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*[[Broa]] |
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*[[Corndog]] |
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*[[Mămăligă]] |
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*[[National Cornbread Festival]] |
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==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
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==External links== |
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*[http://culinarybazaar.blogspot.com/2008/10/cornbread-low-calorie.html Step By Step Instructions for making Cornbread-Low Calorie] |
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[[Category:Quick breads]] |
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[[Category:American breads]] |
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[[Category:Native American cuisine]] |
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[[Category:Cuisine of the Southern United States]] |
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[[Category:Vermont culture]] |
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[[Category:Vermont cuisine]] |
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[[es:Cornbread]] |
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[[nl:Maïsbrood]] |
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[[pt:Broa de milho]] |
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[[simple:Cornbread]] |
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[[chr:ᏣᎷᎦ]] |
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Revision as of 16:43, 8 December 2008
Yeah Corn Bread!